Mastermind
by EverythingButTheRain
Summary: AU- The King of Caelum, Kuchiki Byakuya, finds an unconscious, young, orange-haired man. He takes in this man, who hides a secret that Byakuya has been searching for his whole life. Yaoi, ByaIchi, rating may change :)
1. Past

Second fanfic already. Still haven't finished the first, but I kinda loved this idea a lot. It's set in an AU, where Byakuya is a King. Also, it's a ByaIchi story, so people who don't like yaoi might not enjoy this fanfic as much. (If serious fics are not your style, check out my other work titled 'Perfection')

Anyways, it's pretty short because it's the intro, but enjoy!

* * *

Five Years Ago-

The rain poured down. It was the most fitting weatherr for the current situation. It was almost like the inside of Byakuya's heart was being reflected in the weather. Prince Kuchiki Byakuya is the crown prince of the Kingdom of Caelum. Well, he was. Now, he wasn't the Prince anymore. He was the King.

* * *

*Flashback*

Thousands and thousands of soldiers stormed the Castle of The Kings. It was a surprise attack stealthily taking place at 1:00 in the night. The Caelese soldiers hardly had time to assemble. The General was also not present. It was a wholly one sided battle. What little of the Caelese army had assembled was not nearly enough to launch a decent attack. In no time they all lay dead or injured, blood dripping from their limbs and face, their armor and their pride lying in shattered pieces, as the enemy soldiers ran by and ravaged the Castle, stripping it of its precious ornaments, it's decorations , and its King and Queen. Yes, they murdered the King and Queen in cold blood, while they were sleeping peacefully. The Prince and Princess were to be next, but their plans were foiled by the arrival of the army with its General. They knew they stood no chance against the huge army of Caelum, so they retreated. Not all had escaped, however. The Caelese army had managed to take a few prisoners, but the deed was done. The King and Queen were gone, and no one had the heart to tell the Prince and Princess that. But it had to be done. The General, a young dark skinned woman with purple hair, named Shihoin Yoruichi, was the one designated to give the news to the siblings, seeing as she was the closest to them.

*Flashback ends*

* * *

The Princess, Kuchiki Rukia, had locked herself in her room, and was no doubt sobbing her heart out. Byakuya wished that he could do that too. But he couldn't. Being the older sibling, he had to take over the Kingdom, make sure that it didn't collapse. Now that the responsibility was on his shoulders, he didn't want it anymore. All he wanted was to let it all out, these pent up emotions that were gnawing at him from the inside. But no, however much he wanted to, he didn't. Kings don't cry. Kings don't scream and curse and wish to die. At least the rain provided him some much needed refuge, however brief it may be. He kept on staring on staring outside blankly. It would not be true to say that Byakuya only felt sadness at his parents' demise. He also felt seething rage and a searing hatred towards the person who had done it. At the funeral, Byakuya had sworn an oath upon his parents' grave - he would catch the perpetrator, even if it cost him his own life. He had also decided to not open up and let anyone inside his heart, ever. His parents' had been kind, open and considerate, and look where it had gotten them. It's not like Byakuya would be a cruel, monopolising ruler, he would be everything his parents had been, except that, unlike his parents, he would keep his feelings under lock and key. The time to interrogate the prisoners had come, and Byakuya tore his eyes away from the wet world outside and leave for the dungeons, accompanied by his General and a dozen bodyguards. There were prisoners to torture into giving out information, after all. He needed to know who was behind the attack, and he would go to any lengths to get it.

The Dungeons were dark, even in the daytime, and were only lit by some burning torches attached to the wall. The passageway was cramped, and the fourteen people passing through it had to walk in a straight line. It had been designed to be narrow as to slow down groups of prisoners trying to escape. The party walked with somber expressions, wondering what gruesome lengths they would have to go to to extract the needed information. Even the happy-go-lucky General was being serious for once. She understood Byakuya's pain and didn't make any comment and didn't tease him for being down, and she knew he appreciated that. The group reached the cell where the four prisoners were held, and six guards entered, searching the chained prisoners for any hidden weapons. When none were found, the King and the General entered, accompanied by another six guards. The prisoners were all interrogated, but none gave any useful answers. There was no option left now, but torture.

* * *

King Kuchiki Byakuya woke up in cold sweat. There it was again. That recurring dream of his. The dream where he saw the Castle being ransacked and his parents being murdered. That dream, that had been haunting him since five years. Yes, ever since his parents' murder, he hasn't slept for a week straight without dreaming up the gory details at least once.

His expression hardened further as he recalled the aftermath of the dream. Even after long days of torture, the prisoners had shown no sign of breaking. They had all died, of course. After a month of straight torture, they had all succumbed to the pain. But before dying, one prisoner had confessed the name of the mastermind behind the murder- Sousuke Aizen. This was, of course, impossible as it was a well known fact that Aizen had been killed in battle. His dead body had been seen by all, there was no mistaking it. Byakuya furrowed his brows, and laid down to sleep. He did fall asleep, but his handsome face was tense and showed no sign of relaxation. It hadn't since five years.

* * *

Okaaaaaaay, be honest here and tell me how it was, please? And you can also tell me how you want the story to proceed, it's always interesting to hear your views!

For people wondering where Ichigo is (are there even any?) it's a secret that's going to be revealed if you stick around~


	2. Saved

Read on, fav, follow and review!

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo trudged on wearily. His limbs felt like they were made out of lead, and his head was screaming in agony. He had finally escaped from that horrible place, that place that had sucked his soul out and left him an empty shell devoid of feelings and emotions except for hunger and pain. He was a prisoner of Aizen Sosuke, who was evil personified, or worse. He had been forced to do unspeakable things and had been kept in a dungeon for God knows how long. He had been chained up and not given food or water for long periods of time. When he had finally escaped, he had nowhere to go. He had spent months plotting revenge on Aizen, but that asshole went and died. Now, he was just walking around aimlessly hoping to reach somewhere, and his efforts seemed to be paying off. A large grilled iron gate could be seen in the distance, with the word 'Caelum' mounted on top with gold.

"W-wow, I couldn't have had worse luck..." He managed to say before collapsing from fatigue.

* * *

"Hey, Byakuya-boy, did you hear? The guards found a young man collapsed at some distance from the main gate!" General Yoruichi Shihoin said, rushing into Byakuya's private chambers.

"Do not call me that, and do not enter without knocking. If -" Byakuya sometimes asked himself how that woman still retained her position, acting in that manner.

"Loosen up, Byakuya-boy, you know I won't mend my ways~ Anyways, about this young man, he was found severely injured and the guards think he might be a spy who had a run in with our troops." Her goofy expression became serious.

Bring him to the court." He commanded.

"Ooh, ordering me around?" All her seriousness disappeared in a flash.

"Yes, _General_ " He said, stressing on her rank.

"I know my rank, _Your Majesty_ " She mock bowed and left the room. She did irritate Byakuya a lot, but her upbeat nature endeared her to most. Besides, she was an able general. He got up and started putting on his royal robes over his clothes and his heavy crown made of gold and precious gemstones.

* * *

"Bring the man to the court." Yoruichi ordered the guards stationed outside the palace, who saluted her. The man, who was bound tightly with ropes, was dragged in.

"Go easy on him. We have not yet ascertained his guilt." She commanded. Immediately, his bounds were loosened. She took a close look at the man's face. He had a strikingly handsome, young face, bruised and battered but very handsome nonetheless. But it was his hair that took her aback. It was a shade of orange, so bright that it almost hurt her eyes. No spy can have hair that conspicuous. If he really was a spy, he obviously wasn't a very good one.

"Welcome, your highness" The guards said with respect and bowed. Yoruichi stopped her inspection of the man (or was it boy?)'s face and smirked at Byakuya, who had just sat down on his throne. Earlier, the guards and maids and butlers would all murmur at her show of insolence but now, it was as common as the fact that the earth is round. The king, as usual, paid no attention to her and ordered for the man to be brought to him.

Two guards presented the man to him. The General stood to one side and watched with the Lieutenant General, a red headed man with an inked body named Abarai Renji. Renji looked menacing at first, but he had a good heart, and was full of respect for their king.

Byakuya motioned for the guards to bring him closer, which they dutifully did. By now the man had woken up from his unconscious state, but he stayed still and did not speak a single word. His skin was bleeding from various cuts and blemished with several nasty bruises, but the most striking thing about his was his hair. It was orange, and reminded Byakuya of the warm crackling flame that burned in the hearth. The man's head was lowered, and his eyes could barely be seen.

"What is your name?" Byakuya demanded of him, only to be met with silence. Whether it was defiance or the man was simply too weak to speak he did not know.

"Lift his head up." Byakuya commanded. He was going to see those eyes and make the decision whether this man was to live or die. What he saw had him taken aback. His face was riddled with bruises. His eyes were a shade of brown, which he supposed held some warmth in happier times. Now, they were cold and lifeless. Byakuya saw the himself from five years back in those eyes. The eyes were the eyes of a man who had given up and he was sure that it was what the man before him wanted to do. He could end his sufferings, of course. He could just sentence him to death on the charge of being a spy from the neighboring kingdom. But he knew he wasn't. It was the man's eyes that said it all. They were tortured and longed for death to come and wash away the sorrow, but they did not have that sly, cunning look that was so familiar in spies.

"Release him." He commanded.

The guards dutifully opened the shackles. The man looked up for the first time. He had an extremely handsome face and looked rather young. He was probably a prince from somewhere. Or a king, if he shared Byakuya's misfortune. Why he was in that battered state remained to be asked.

"Give him food and tend to his injuries. He shall be treated as my guest." The guards looked surprised at his command. It was to no fault of theirs, he had surprised himself too.

The young man looked at Byakuya with a tinge of gratitude in his eyes, but still remained silent. A guard escorted him out.

"What is this I see, Byakuya-boy? You are softening up!" The General spoke as soon as the man left.

"I only did what I deemed fit. The man was not a spy, so sentencing him to death would be unnecessary." He replied.

"But your majesty, what if he is an assassin?" The Lieutenant General voiced his concern.

"I shall handle him if he is, Renji." The king said curtly.

"Well then, we'll leave you to your boring life and leave." Yoruichi said and dragged Renji out with her. They went out to colossal garden.

"Renji, what do you think of that guy?" She asked him quite seriously.

"Isn't it too early to say, Yoruichi-san?"

"He doesn't look like a bad guy to me, as far as I've seen."

"Maybe. I think the king sees a little of himself in him."

"So we think alike. He obviously reminds Byakuya-boy of the time when his parents were murdered. He too had that soulless look in his eyes."

"Yeah. I wonder why he's so severely injured though."

"Me too. Well, he'll heal. Anyways, let's go, we have the new recruits to train." She stalked off, followed by Renji.

* * *

Ichigo's wounds had been dressed by an expert healer, and he had been taken to the dining chambers and fed all sorts of delicacies. Now, he was being shown to his room. He had expected torture and imprisonment, not this hospitality. The new king indeed was magnanimous. Ichigo had been a little struck by him. The king was young, and extremely handsome. His flawless skin and slate grey eyes had left him inwardly gaping. He had expected some scheming old man to have taken over the throne next, not someone like him. Ichigo almost regretted doing what he had done. But there was no going back now. He'd just stay here till his wounds healed, and then he'd escape this place. To go where, he didn't know. But staying here would not be safe for him when the king found out about his past deeds. He entered his room. It was huge, just as expected. It was adorned with a four poster bed and the floors were carpeted with plush red velvet. Just as he was about to close the door, a small white hand held it open. A petite girl entered his room. She had black hair, large violet eyes and a tiny mouth.

"Hello! I heard from nii-sama that you were lodged in this room. May I come in?" She asked excitedly. Ichigo wondered who her nii-sama was. He wordlessly gave her entry.

"So, what's your name? Oh, pardon, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kuchiki Rukia, sister of Kuchiki Byakuya!" Ichigo wondered who this Kuchiki Byakuya was. The surname Kuchiki did sound familiar to him. He looked at her quizzically.

"I'm the princess, you know, and my brother's the king." She answered, as if she had read his mind. Now that she said it, she did look a little like the king. She had the same hair and white skin, though hers was a bit more tanned. She didn't put on airs, looked tomboyish and was not at all princess-like. Ichigo might be able to able to get along with her.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" She asked him.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo." He had spoken for the first time in months. His voice had cracked from disuse.

"You spoke! Anyways, how'd you get so injured?" Obviously he couldn't answer her, so he clammed up.

"Well, I'll give you time to adjust. See you later, Ichigo!" She said and left.

Ichigo...it had been so many years singe someone had called him by his name. But he didn't deserve it. She too didn't know what he'd done. Well, no use mulling over the past. He flopped down on the bed. Suddenly, there was another knock on his door. He got up irritatedly and opened it, only to see the king standing there. No guards? Security here sure was lax.

"I understand Rukia visited you." He stated in that deep sexy voice of his. Wait, did he just think that his voice was sexy? He must be going crazy.

"Yes" he said.

"She said you did not answer her when she asked you about your injuries."

"Yes." He really didn't know what else to say in front of this Imposing young king.

"Allow me to repeat that question - what is the cause of your injuries?" His tone was firm, like he was giving an ultimatum, not asking a question.

"It is a long story, your highness, do you want to come in?" He said politely.

The king wordlessly entered, but didn't sit down. He regally stood at a corner facing the door. He sure was lax about security, entering the room of a guy whose credentials were unknown without any qualms.

"I don't know whether it will be worthy of your time or not" He said apprehensively.

"It is the duty of a king to listen to his subjects."

"For all you know, I might not even be your subject" He said, perhaps a little rudely

"You are staying here at my palace. That is enough." Wow, he really liked this man. Maybe, he could try to be friendly with him and his sister for the time he stays here. Or maybe not. Yeah, it would be best not to get involved with them. They did seem like good people, but he couldn't forgive himself for what he'd done. Yes, the best retribution would be to deprive himself of having friends. That way he could spend the rest of his life in sorrow. But even that wouldn't be enough to make up for his sins. He knew it.

* * *

Yes, I do intend to drag this story for as long as I can, cuz I really loved the idea of an AU with Byakuya as King. I also intended to make Ichigo the General (spoiler?) but for now, it's Yoruichi...let's see...*evil smirk*

Ichi's b'day is on the 15th of July, just a day left! I planned to frame and hang a pic of Ichigo in my bedroom but a certain someone had strong objections to it so I'm gonna hafta stick to writing fanfics...


	3. Sparring

Mastermind 3

I love writing this story too much. Hope you love to read it too! The chapters from now on will be longer, so more to read!

* * *

"Never pull a fence down until you know what it was put up for"- Robert Frost

* * *

Byakuya was apprehensive. He had played the part of the ever benevolent, magnanimous ruler, and let that flame headed boy or man (his age was a mystery as of yet) stay in the palace. He wasn't afraid of being bludgeoned to death with a sword at night or having a knife gracefully thrown come pierce his chest. The feeling was different, like a sort of caution mixed with a strange notion that he could be himself around him. Yes, two very conflicting things together. Rukia said that he seemed to be in pain, mental and physical. He took her word for it as she had an uncanny knack seeing through people. He did, too, but to him this man was unreadable. He let his apprehensions slide. Rukia liked the boy, that was enough to let him stay.

Byakuya's thoughtful reverie was broken by the fidgeting man in front of him. It was then that he realised that he had asked the man about his injuries, a question he had yet to receive the answer to. He didn't say anything, just stared straight into the other's brown eyes, which were almost immediately averted. So he did have something to hide. Either that, or something to painful to speak about.

"I shall not force you to speak, you may do so at your own convenience. Excuse me for the interruption." Byakuya said softly and turned around to leave. The king wasn't about to force anyone to speak as long as they weren't guilty of anything.

"Thank you" The man called out hesitantly, all his previous spunk gone. Byakuya felt a pang of pity for him for reasons he himself did not know about. He said nothing and left, shutting the door quietly. He had a kingdom to go manage now, people to please, to listen to the complaints of his subjects, some trivial, some not.

Ichigo collapsed on the bed, thanking his lucky stars that Byakuya did not press the issue further. He probably had understood, empathised even, with his because his eyes were the same. He masked it well, but for a second the mask had come off, and his true tiredness, sadness even, had shown through. Being a king probably sucked. Then again, it was none of his business. Sleep lulled him over, without leaving him time to change his slightly bloodied bandages.

When Ichigo woke, it was morning. He blinked at the red domed ceiling above him. The big grandfather clock chimed on one side to remind him of the time. The bright sunlight was streaming in on his face from the large, glass paned windows. He panicked for a moment as he took in the strange, luxurious surroundings. Recalling the previous day, he frowned and checked on his drying wounds. His clothes were a bit bloodied, but it's not like he had a spare. He got up and opened the door, stepping out. Not far away, he saw a woman approaching. She was dark-skinned and rather beautiful, with large golden eyes. As soon as she saw him, she grinned and waved. He walked towards her.

"Hey there, how you feeling?" She questioned.

"Better" He replied, wondering who she was. She probably felt his confusion, and answered.

"I'm Yoruichi Shihoin!"

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. Are you the queen?" He sated his name and questioned further, only to be see her widen her eyes and burst out in a fit of laughter.

"AHAHAHAHA oh my god kid I like you so much!" She wheezed out. He frowned, not understanding what was so funny.

"I'm 19, you know, don't call me kid" He said while frowning, not understanding why she was laughing like she was raving mad. She still hadn't recovered, her body shaking from the laughter.

"My bad, but I'm 36, so you're a kid to me. And answering your previous question, I am not queen, I'm the general. Oh man, if Byakuya-bo heard this, you'd probably be executed!" She said, mirth still in her eyes. He wondered who this 'Byakuya-bo' was.

"Byakuya-bo...?" He shot a questioning glance at her.

"He's that stuck-up, seemingly emotionally retarded but actually quite hotheaded king who took you in~" She said playfully, not at all guilty about rattling off rather unpleasant things about her king.

"Excuse me?" An incredulous voice could be heard from behind them. Ichigo nearly smirked as he saw the king standing there, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, hey, Byakuya-bo! I was just telling Ichigo here how great a ruler you are and how I'm in awe of you" She lied with a straight face, but he obviously knew her better than to buy it.

"I'm sure you were, my queen" He said with a straight face, but stressing on the last two words. Ichigo's brows crinkled in confusion. Didn't she just say she wasn't the queen?

"I know you always had a crush on me, but I never thought you'd sink as low as to marry me without my permission and knowledge!" She said with mock surprise and shock plastered on her face. He glared daggers at her. She probably had been impaled by a thousand daggers by now in his mind.

"Well, I'd better get going, dear husband!" She said, gracefully turned, and fled for her life. Wise woman. Ichigo wished she didn't leave him behind.

"Are you proficient in swordsmanship?" The king suddenly asked him from out of the blue.

"I can fight pretty well, your majesty." Ichigo replied, not seeing any reason behind the seemingly random question.

"Then, if your health permits, you can spar with Renji or Yoruichi. Rukia might also be up for sparring, you may ask her." The king, Byakuya, said rather graciously. At least Ichigo wasn't going to get bored out of his wits today. He wondered who this Renji was. Also, if he recalled correctly, Rukia was his sister, the princess. Last time he checked, princesses didn't spar with random guys. This place was a weird one.

"Thanks, but are you okay with letting a complete stranger like me fight with your people?" Ichigo asked and inwardly winced at his informality. However, the king didn't seem to mind. He was most probably used to worse from his general. A moment of silence passed between them.

"People staying at the palace are not strangers, they are guests, Kurosaki Ichigo."

The king said, turned on his heel and excused himself. Ichigo stared at his retreating back in confusion and set off to search for the disappeared general and perhaps this Renji person. He didn't feel quite comfortable with the idea of dragging the princess out to fight. He passed the long, columned hallways, passing by innumerable maids and butlers and whatnot, but none of them batted an eyelid at him. Maybe frowning, bandaged and orange haired people were common here. He came to a stop as he spotted a red headed man, frowning and grimacing as he fumbled around for his sword. He had a sword! Then he probably was part of the army, or at least knew the general's whereabouts. He cautiously approached the man, who lifted his head up as soon as he heard him approaching.

"Oh hey man...Ichigo, ain't it?" The man questioned. He seemed rather friendly for his tough demeanour. Ichigo wondered how he knew his name.

"Uhh...yeah.." Ichigo trailed off, unsure of who this guy was and how he knew his name. The other man probably sensed his discomfort.

"My bad, I'm Renji Abarai and I'm the Lieutenant General" He said with a grin and his chest swelled up with thinly disguised pride. He obviously loved his job.

"Bya-his majesty told me that I could spar with you or Yoruichi-san or the princess." He coloured a little when the king's given names slipped out of his mouth. It was Yoruichi's fault.

"Ya can't spar with three people at once, so I'll go first. Assess your strength, ya know" He said, excited about the prospect of sparring. Ichigo noticed that he didn't seem shocked at the mention of sparring with the princess. Weird people.

"I don't have a sword, Abarai-san" Ichigo said. Renji looked at him funnily.

"Swords can be easily provided, but seriously, dude, don't call me that. Seems wrong. Call me Renji" He said. These people weren't big on formality.

"Sorry, Renji." Ichigo said. Renji set off, after making sure Ichigo was following. He entered a large room, devoid of colour and furniture. It was blinding white. He showed Ichigo to a corner where countless swords were heaped, gesturing for Ichigo to take one. Ichigo picked a pair of dual swords, one shorter and one bigger. Renji stared in awe at the swords he held.

"Oh, ya got that one, lucky bastard!" Renji finally said, clapping a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. Seeing Ichigo's confusion, he elaborated.

"In our kingdom, no two swords are the same. All swords have different patterns engraved on them or are of different shapes. They are classified into three types, the Fortissimum which is like crazy strong, the mediocris which is normal and the Infirma that is kinda weak. Your sword is a Fortissimum, named Slaying Moon or Zangetsu, and that is super awesome." He reeled off excitedly.

"I just picked it randomly, you know" Ichigo said, his mind boggling from the information.

"Nah, man, ya can't pick a sword above or below your power level" Renji said helpfully. Ichigo had always known he was strong, but to see proof of it was a little flattering.

"Oh, and also, me, King, Rukia and Yoruichi-san also have Fortissimums! Welcome to the club, dude!" He continued, his eyes shining like a little child faced with the prospect of candy.

"Glad to be joining, Renji." Ichigo said and smirked a little.

"Ya know, Ichigo, stop doing that meek, obedient thing ya were doing. I know that ain't you. Seriously, this kingdom's different. We don't care for subservient, polite people here, ya gotta have a fire in you! So, act like a man if ya don't wanna be thrown out." He exclaimed. Ichigo blinked. Well, acting all proper and polite wasn't like him anyways. Besides, he liked this Renji guy, and felt at ease around him.

"Okay, I heard you. So, we gonna start?" He questioned, eager to try out his new sword.

"Not here, we don't want the guards to get on our case for destroying half the palace." He said, a fearful look in his eyes. Probably had a traumatic experience.

"You're Lieutenant General, and you're afraid of guards?" Ichigo demanded. The guy was more cowardly than he looked.

"No, after the guards come King himself, and he-" Renji stopped with a shudder, fearfully looking around as if the king was hiding in a bush eavesdropping.

"He threw you in the dungeons?" Ichigo prodded, eager to know more.

"Nah, he likes me too much to do that. He just sorta looked at me, glared and- it's too damn scary. I thought I'd die" He went a bit pale just recalling the memory. So the king wasn't all looks and rank.

"Anyways, lets go the arena." Renji recovered a bit and said. Ichigo gestured for him to lead the way, which he did, Ichigo following. They were walking for a while when a small blur of black and white came running towards Renji and somehow managed to smack him on the head, although being much shorter than him. Renji winced and glared at the figure.

"What the fuck, Rukia?" He demanded of her. Ichigo recalled that Rukia was the princess. He guessed that either they were very close friends, or it was another of this kingdom's oddities (it turned out to be both).

"You damn fool! Didn't I tell you that I was free in the morning and that we could talk to Ichigo?" She yelled, noticing Ichigo's presence a bit too late. She stared at him wide-eyed. Then regained her composure a little to speak.

"Hey, Ichigo I didn't notice you, what're you doing here?" She asked Ichigo who was watching their altercation with amusement, temporarily forgetting Renji.

"We were going to spar" He said and gestured towards Renji.

"Oh, you spoke! Feeling better? And you! Didn't I tell you to INFORM me if you were going to spar?" She questioned Ichigo, gave him no time to answer and , turned towards Renji, jabbing him in the chest hard. Renji started blabbing in panic.

"Actually, princess, he said he was going to assess my strength first and then decide whether I was fit to spar with you or not" Ichigo said stepping in, earning a grateful glance from Renji.

"First of all, it's Rukia, and I will have you executed if you call me by anything other than my name. Secondly, Renji, you're still a damn fool. You're lucky Ichigo here saved your ass." She said glaring at both of them and walked off. Renji followed her. Ichigo simply stood stood there until Rukia turned around and yelled for him to come on. He too started walking, with no idea where they were going. They'd been walking for not long when they arrived at a garden with a clearing in the middle.

"Here should be okay. We'll go to the arena some other day." Renji spoke up, unsheathing his sword. His was a very strange sword, large and divided into sections.

"This is Zabimaru!" He said, catching Ichigo's stare. The sword seemed very fitting for him.

"Oh, Ichigo, you picked a sword? Nii-sama told me to tell you to select one." Rukia piped up. Ichigo wondered how she hadn't noticed him holding two quite conspicuous swords.

"Of course he has, ya gone blind?" Renji questioned her. She pouted at him and turned towards Ichigo again.

"So? Which is it?" She demanded impatiently, trying to get a better look.

"Renji said its called Zangetsu." Ichigo said and shrugged, handing the shorter one to her for inspection.

"It's a Fortissimum! That's so awesome, Ichigo!" She shrieked in excitement, and unsheathed her own sword. Hers was a beauty, pure white with a circular spoked hilt guard.

"This is Sode No Shirayuki" She stated with pride. She finally noticed that she had Ichigo's sword as well and gave it back to him.

"Now, we spar!" Came Renji's announcement.

"There're three of us" Ichigo said. Three people sparring at once would be very messy and he wouldn't wanna hurt anyone unintentionally.

"I call dibs on fighting Ichigo!" Renji yelled, sticking his tongue out at Rukia, who made a face at him. Wow, they were a mature bunch.

Rukia stalked off towards a safe corner, and Renji lunged at Ichigo, who blocked with the shorter sword. Renji fell back, and it was Ichigo's turn to attack. Renji neatly dodged the blade, when Ichigo suddenly brought down his other sword. Renji blocked with Zabimaru and rolled away to a safe distance.

"Not bad, man" He called out appreciatively.

"Not bad yourself" Ichigo called back. They were both rather well matched till now.

Ichigo made the first move, swinging his larger sword at Renji's side. Renji just barely blocked, and swung his own sword at Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo deftly dodged and attacked with both the swords. Renji realised that it was impossible to block so he just ducked, attacking Ichigo's abdomen. Ichigo blocked in time and swung a sword heavily at Renji's upper arm. Renji jumped back in time and was about to attack when they were interrupted by a rather excited Rukia.

"Ichigo, your moves are amazing! Where'd you learn to fight this well?" She questioned him with wide eyes.

"Hey, come on, gimme some credit too! We were equal!" Renji whined, unhappy that Ichigo was getting all of Rukia's attention. Rukia ignored him.

"Well, I kinda taught myself some but most of the time, I just go with the flow..." Ichigo said, lightly scratching his head. No one had ever complimented his fighting this much before. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see the General standing there. She must be a ninja. No one had even heard her footsteps!

"Ichigo, I'll have to tell Byakuya-boy to let you join our army, you fight so well!" She exclaimed. But he hoped she wouldn't tell the king. He wasn't going to be here for long anyways, so why complicate matters? He sure wasn't going to listen to the teeny, tiny part of his brain that told him to stay.

"That's fine, Shihoin-san, I really don't want to" He told her. She playfully frowned and pretended that his words had hurt her.

"Shame on you, calling me Shihoin-san! You make me feel like an old lady!" She protested. People here sure were insistent on being called by their given names.

"Well, Yoruichi-san, you are an old la-" Renji started but was cut off by her menacing smile.

"Saying something, Renji?" She said, all smiley, but killing intent radiating from her. Renji obviously felt it as he gulped and shook his head.

"Anyways, Ichigo, you can call me Yoruichi or Yoruichi-san like these kids do!" She told Ichigo.

"Calling us kids make you sound old-" Renji piped up again to be shut up by her smile, which didn't quite reach her eyes.

"But don't call her demon cat, Ichigo. Only nii-sama can call her that!" Rukia said, waggling her finger. Ichigo rolled his eyes. As of he was going to call her that.

"Why demon cat, though?" He questioned, seeing no logic behind the nickname.

"Ah, that's a long story! Tell you later, for now, let's go meet Byakuya-bo, I wanna see why he's spending this fine day cooped up inside the court!" She said.

"Uhh, Yoruichi-san, he's the king, it's his duty to sit in the court and do whatever he does" Renji said. He obviously hadn't had enough.

"Well, he can take the members of the court and sit outside in the garden, enjoying the sunlight. Seriously, Rukia, your brother looks like an anemic vampire nowadays!" She said. Rukia tried to hide her grin, but Renji had no such qualms. But it had to be admitted that the idea of the king with vampire fangs sitting on a regal throne in the middle of the garden did tickle Ichigo a bit.

"Oh hey, Ichigo, you're smiling! Man, you look so handsome, I wish you were a bit older!" Yoruichi said, waggling her eyebrows mock suggestively. Ichigo hadn't even realized he was smiling. This place was softening him up.

* * *

How was it? Worthy of a fav, follow, or review? I hope so! Anyways, time for a confession- I make my stories up as I go. It totally depends upon my mood. So, I have absolutely no idea what will happen next, whether there'll be any character death or side pairings. Your suggestions are always welcome, if I like it I'll add it!

EBTR signing off!


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